Ironing press



Feb. 27, 1940. N. H. WATTS IRONING PRESS Filed Oct. 7, 1955 2Sheets-Sheet 1 1% NM w gay Feb. 27, 1940. N. WATTS 2,192,057

IRONING PRESS Filed 001:. "7, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -30 /6 /{6 50 2: Ifvz iii: a f /o'a 1 z I l A2 /Zc /2c I i i 6 7 6e 1 c l C 1 6 E l 501 I52 Z 52 7 aw I i i T H 35 4a Z2 54 as Inventor:

Noble awa ts;

by z MW @175 Attorney.

Patented Feb. 27, 1940 UNITED "STATES IRONING PRESS Noble H. Watts,Bridgeport, Coma, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation ofNew York .Application October 7, 1935, Serial No. 43,937

6 Claims.

This application is a continuation in part of my application Serial No.741,787, filed August 28, 1934, and abandoned April 30, 1936.

The present invention relates to ironing presses of the type wherein theironing is effected by the pressure between a heated shoe and a paddedbuck.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved construction in amachine of this type, and for a consideration of what I believe to benovel and my invention, attention is directed to the followingdescription and the claims appended thereto.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an ironing pressembodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the ironingpress and the control therefor; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end elevation ofthe ironing press, partly in section; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary frontelevation of the ironing press, partly in section;' Fig. 5 is aperspective view of the yoke which transmits the ironing pressure fromthe pressure-developing mechanism to the carriage; and Fig. 6 is asectional view taken on line 6 -6 of Fig. 4.

The ironing press embodying my invention is shown supported on a tablehaving a light sheet metal top I supported on legs 2. Leaves 3 arehinged to the front and side edges of the table top I and when in thelowered position provide a support for the material to be ironed. Therear edge of the table top is turned up to provide an apron l whichprevents the material being ironed from falling over the rear edge ofthe table.

The pressure-developing mechanism for the ironing press is contained ina cylinder 5 which is supported by the table top and which projectsthrough an opening in the table top. On the under side of the table topis a yoke 6a (see Fig. 5) having a circular depending flange 5b concen--tric with the opening in the table top through which the cylinder 5projects. The yoke is suitably fastened to the under side of the tabletop by bolts 50. Between the flange 6b of the yoke and the side walls ofcylinder 5 and between a flange I on the cylinder 5 and the table top I,is arranged a rubber ring 5 which resiliently supports the cylinder onthe table top. The rubber ring 5 is prevented from turning within theflange 6b by means of a projection which fits in a channel 6d on theinner surface of the flange. The cylinder is prevented from turning withrespect to the rubber ring by means of a rectangular bead 6e on theupper surface of the rubber ring which fits into a complementaryrectangular groove in the under side of the flange I. The cylinder 5 istherefore prevented from turning with respect to the table top. Apassage 8 is provided in the cylinder 5 and through the rubber ring 6through which conductors for supplying power to the power-operateddevice may be led.

A piston 9 carrying a piston ring III at the lower end is slidablycarried within the cylinder 5 and is moved relative to the cylinder bythe pressure of fluid contained between the piston and the cylinder. Ahearing housing II and an electric motor contained within a housing I2are mounted on top of the piston, and bolts I3 extending from a flangeI4 on the motor housing to the piston 9, clamp the motor housing I2, thebearing housing II, and the piston 9 together so that all three aremoved as a unit. The motor has a stator I2a fixed to the inner side ofthe motor housing and a rotating member I2b carried on a shaft 22journaled in the motor housing and in the bearing housing II A buck I5is supported on the upper end of the motor housing by an annulus' I6 ofrubber or other resilient material between a depending flange I5a on thebuck and a cylindrical projection I5b on the motor housing. Thisresiliently supports the buck for movement in all directions. Turning ofthe annulus I6 on the projection I5b may be prevented by recesses in theprojection I5b which interlock with the annulus I6. With thisarrangement, the buck is mounted directly on the upper end of the pistonwhich slides within the cylinder 5, and the pressing forces aretransmitted from the buck through the fluid within the cylinder to thecylinder.

A pad ll of textile material is placed over the upper surface of thebuck. A heating unit I8 is imbedded in the buck for heating the buck,and perforations I9 are provided in the upper surface through which thesteam generated during ironing may escape. As the buck is heated, thereis no tendency for the steam to condense, and the steam is conductedthrough the perforations I 9 to the atmosphere.

A piston head 20 is secured to the lower end of the piston by studs 20aand spaced therefrom to allow room for an impeller 2| attached to thelower end of the motor shaft 22. The impeller and the rotating part ofthe motor connected to the motor shaft are supported by a spring-pressedball 23 carried by the piston head and are also supported by the centralsurface 24 of the impeller which engages a complementary surface on thepiston head. The piston is provided with a central opening 25 whichserves as the inlet for the impeller. The outer edge of the piston headhas spaced holes 28 therein which provide discharge openings for theimpeller. The cylinder is filled to a suitable level with a fluid whichmay be oil of the desired viscosity. A perforated bailie 21 carried bythe piston and openings 28 in the side walls of the piston 8 control theflow of fluid from the cylinder to the inlet opening 25 in the piston.As the motor shaft is rotated, the impeller forces fluid from the upperside of the piston through the inlet opening 25 and discharge openings28 to the lower side of the piston. The pressure between the lower sideof the piston and the end of the cylinder forces the piston upwardly.The movement of the piston within the cylinder is guided by flanges l2cfixed to the upper end of the motor housing l2 which travel in keywaysI20. formed in the side walls of the cylinder. The

lowered position of the piston is limited by the engagement of the lowerend of flanges l2c with the bottom of the keyways I2d.

The upward movement starts gradually, due to the time taken foraccelerating the motor, and continues until the resistance ofiered bythe buck caused by the engagement of the buck with the shoe 29 balancesthe pressure created by the impeller. The engagement of the buck withthe shoe is substantially without shock, and the pressure is maintainedas long as the motor is energized. The travel of the buck inherentlyadjusts itself to varying thicknessesof material which are placedbetween the buck and the shoe. When the power is cut off from the motor,the impeller stops rotating and the fluid flows from the lower side ofthe piston through the openings 26 and 25 to the upper side of thepiston and permits the buck to move downwardly under the force ofgravity. During the downward movement, the piston 9 cooperates with thecylinder 5 to produce a cushioning action so that there is substantiallyno shock at the end of the return movement. Since the motor is carriedby the piston, the weight of the motor is used to assist the returnmovement of the buck.

The control of the ironing press is very simple since to cause pressingengagement of the buck and the shoe it is only necessary to supply powerto the motor, and to release the pressure between the buck and the shoeit is only necessary to cut off the power supply. The simplicity of thecontrol is due to the nature of the pressure-developing mechanism. Dueto the use of an impeller for pumping the oil from the upper to thelower side of the piston during the pressure stroke, the motor may berun continuously while the piston is in a stalled position withoutincreasing the pressure exerted on the piston.

The shoe 29 is preferably made of metal and provided with a suitableelectric heating element (not shown). The carriage for supporting the.shoe 29 comprises two U-shaped arms 38 of I- beam cross section whichare connected by cross rods 3|. The shoe is secured to the upper arms30b of the carriage by suitable clamps 300 (see Fig. 4) The lower arms30a of the carriage are provided with rolls 32 which travel on tracks 33carried by a pan 34 fastened to the lower side of the table top. Theweight of the carriage and shoe is therefore carried by the table top.For the purpose of bracing the pan 34, the pan is fastened to the lowerend of the flange 6b of the yoke Go by means of screws 34a. A rear leaf35 is hinged to the pan 34 and may contain additional track on which therolls 32 may slide. The carriage maintains the shoe above the loweredposition of the buck so that the material on thebuck is not disturbed bythe movement of the shoe to a position above the buck.

As shown in Fig. 4, when the shoe is in reg ister with the buck, thelower arms 30a of the carriage are beneath the ends of the yoke 8a. Itis therefore apparent that when the pressuredeveloping mechanism isactuated to raise the buck into pressing engagement with the shoe, thelower arms of the carriage will be raised against the ends of the yoke.Since the cylinder is in effect carriedpon the yoke, the pressing forceswill be transmitted from the cylinder through the yoke to the lower armsof the carriage, and the pressing forces will therefore not stress therelatively light sheet metal table top I. This construction makespossible the use of a light sheet metal table top for supporting theironer, since the table top need only support the weight of the ironingpress and need not be strong enough to withstand the relatively heavypressing forces.

A table top 38 is flxed to the top of the upper arms 30b and, when theironing machine is not in use, the carriage may be moved forwardly sothat the table top 36 is above the table top I of the table, and thefront and side leaves 3 and the rear leaf 35 may be swung up and latchedto the under side of the table top. The leaves then enclose the ironingmachine which may I then be used as a table-of general utility.

A handle 31 is provided for moving the carriage. The handle is connectedto a rod 38 which is slidably carried in the fibnt end of the upper arms30b of the carriage and projects through one of the arms. A spring 38between the projecting end of the rod and the upper arm of the carriagebiases the rod 38 to the left, as viewed in Fig. 2, and holds a pin 40which is fixed to the rod in engagement with a notch formed in the innersurface of the arm. The pin prevents rotation of the handle and alsoserves as a pivot for the handle. When the ironing machine is not inuse, the handle may be moved to the right until the pin 40 is clear ofthe notch formed in the inner surface of the arm, and the handle maythenbe swung downwardly so that it will not interfere with the raising ofthe front leaf of the table. The right end of the rod 38 fits within anelongated slot 4| in the arm of the carriage which provides a lostmotion connection between the handle and the carriage. This lost motionis used to actuate a double-pole, doublethrow switch 42 through a linkv43 connected to the rod 38. The switch blades 41 and 48 of the switch 42are pivoted on the carriage at 41a and 48a. A spring 44 connectedbetween a projection 45 on the arm of the carriage and a projection 48on the link 43 biases the switch 42 to the position in which the switchblades 41 and 48 are in contact with contacts 43 and 58. When the righthand end of handle 31 is pushed rearwardly, the left hand end of rod 33pivots on pin 40, and the right hand end moves in slot 4| and throughlink 43 moves switch blades 41 and 48 out of engagement with contacts 49and 50,

and into engagement with contacts 5l'and 52.

top I. These contacts are arranged so that they 75 are closed only whenthe carriage is moved forwardly so that the buck and shoe are inregister. Rearward movement of the carriage from its forward position ofa fraction of an inchis s'ufllcient to open these contacts and therebyprevent the energizing of the power-operated device when the buck andshoe are out of register. The circuit to the power-operated device isalso'controlled by a double-pole, double-throw switch 6| which iscarried on the under side of the platform of the table and has a plunger62 which engages the front of the block 3|a when the carriage is movedto the position in which the buck and shoe are in register. A spring 63biases the switch blade 64 into engagement 'with contacts 65 and 66 whenthe buck and shoe are out of register. When the buck and shoe are movedinto register, the plunger 62 moves the switch blade against the biasingforce of spring 63 out of engagement with contacts 65 and 66 and intoengagement with contacts 61 and 68. The circuit through contacts 65 and66 controls the flow of power to the heating element H3 in the buck, andthe circuit through contacts 61 and 68 controls the flow of power to thepower-operated device. When the buck and shoe are out of register, theheating element I8 is energized, and when the buck and shoe are inregister, the power-operated device may be energized. With thisarrangement, the heating element I8 and the power-operated device arealternatively energized and'cannot be simultaneously energized. This isimportant because the ironing machine is adapted for .domestic use andit is desirable to provide an ironing machine in which the power demandwill not exceed the capacity of the average outlet found in homes. Theheating element 8 is preferably proportioned so that it takessubstantially the same power as the power-operated device, and the powerdemand of the ironing machine therefore remains substantially constant.

The circuits controlling the power supply to the ironing machine whichis illustrated in Fig. 2 will now be described. The power supply is fedfrom conductors 69 and 19, through double-pole switch 1|, to conductors12 and 13. From these conductors, current flows to the heating elementarranged in the shoe 29 through conductors 14 and 15. This circuit isclosed whenever the switch 1| is closed. The circuit to the heatingelement l8 in the buck extends from conductor 13, through conductor 16,heating element l8, conductor 11, contact 66, switch blade 64, contact65, conductor 18, and conductor 19, to conductor 12.

The circuit through heating element i8 is energized when the switch 1|is closed and when the shoe 29 is out of register with the buck so thatthe spring 63 forces the switch blade 64 into engagement with contacts65 and 66. When the shoe is moved into register with the buck, the block3|a on the carriage engages the plunger 62 and forces the switch blade64 out of engagement with contacts 65 and 66 and into engagement withcontacts 61 and 68. The heating element I8 is therefore deenergized whenthe shoe is in register with the buck.

When the ironing press is in the position illustrated in Fig. 2,contacts 53, 54, 55, and 56 are out of engagement with contacts 51, 58,59, and 69, and the switch blade 64 is out of engagement with contacts61 and 68. In this condition, the

51, 58, 59 and 69, and the switch blade 64 is moved into engagement withcontacts 61 and 68 by the plunger 62. This completes a circuit whichconnects the field winding 69 of the motor in series with the armature8|. The circuit may be traced as follows: From conductor 13, throughconductors 16 and 82, to one side of the armature. From the other sideof the armature the circuit extends through conductor 83 to contacts 58and 54, through conductor 84, conductor 85, contact 59, switch blade 48,conductor 86, contacts 55 and 59, and conductor 81, to one side of thefield winding 89. From the other side of the field winding, the circuitextends through conductor 89, contacts 51 and 53, conductor 89, switchblade 41, contact 49, conductor 99, contacts 56 and 69, conductor 9|,contact 61, switch blade 64, contact 6:, conductor 92, and conductor 19,to conductor The motor is deenergized, thereby releasing the pressurebetween the back and the shoe, by pushing on the handle 31 and movingthe link 43 so as to cause the switch blades 41 and 48 to move out ofengagement with contacts 49 and 59, and into engagement with contacts 5|and 52. Since this is the normal movement which the operator would maketo move the shoe out of engagement with the buck, the safety of themachine is increased since the operator does not have to learn to use aseparate control for releasing the pressure between the buck and theshoe. This movement breaks the circuit from the power supply to themotor and short-circuits the field 86 across the armature 8|. Thiscircuit may be traced from one side of the armature, through conductor82, conductor 16, conductor 93, contact 52, switch blade 48, conductor86, contacts 55 and 59, and conductor 81, to one side of the fieldwinding. From the other. side of the field winding, the circuit extendsthrough conductor 88, contacts 51 and 53, conductor 89, switch blade 41,contact 5|, conductor 94, conductor 84, contacts 54 and 58, andconductor 83, to the other side of the armature. By short circuiting thefield on the armature, the motor is stopped more quickly, therebypermitting a quicker release of the pressure between the buck and theshoe.

For the purpose of describing the operation of the ironing machine,assume that the parts are in the position illustrated in Fig. 2. In thisposition the buck and shoe are out of register, and the switch 1| isopen so that no power is supplied to the machine. When the operatorwishes to use the machine, the switch 1| is closed connecting the powersupply to conductors 12 and 13 and energizing the circuit through theheating element in the shoe and through the heating element l8 in thebuck. After a suitable length of time, the shoe will have been broughtto the proper ironing temperature, and the operator then places thematerial to be ironed over the upper surface of the buck. The operatorthen pulls the carriage forwardly by means of the handle 31 and bringsthe shoe into a position in register with and in spaced relation to thebuck. During the forward movement of the carriage, the switch blades 41and 48 are held in engagement with contacts 49 and 50, and the finalmovement of the carriage to this position closes the contacts 53, 54,55, and 56 on contacts 51, 58, 59, and 69, and also exerts a force onthe plunger 62 which moves the switch blade 64 out of engagement withcontacts 65 and 66, and into engagement with contacts 61 and 68, thuscomplating the circuit from the power supply in series through thearmature BI and the field winding 80 of the motor and opening thecircuit through the heating element 18 in the buck. As soon as the shoeis moved in register with the buck, the motor is started in rotation,and the pressure developed on the under side of the piston 9 by therotation of the impeller 2! causes the buck to be moved upwardly intopressing engagement with the shoe. The buck moves upwardly 'until theresistance offered by the shoe balances the pressure created by theimpeller, and the pressure between the buck and shoe continues as longas the motor 'is energized. When the operator wishes to stop the ironingor to release the pressure between the buck and the shoe for any reason,the handle 31 is pushed rearwardly, and the elongated slot 4| permitsthe initial movement of the handle to move the switch blades 41 and 48to be moved out of engagement with the contacts 49 and 50 and intoengagement with the contacts 5| and 52. This movement of the switchblades 41 and 48 disconnects the motor from the power supply andshortcircuits the field winding 80 across the armature 8|. Due to thelost motion connection between the handle and the carriage, which isprovided by the slot 4!, the movement of the handle 31 to deenergize themotor requires very little force. As soon as the field winding 80 isshortcircuited across the armature 8|, the motor is quickly stopped andthe fluid flows from the lower side of the piston through openings 26and to the upper side of the piston, thereby relieving the pressurebetween the buck and the shoe and permitting the buck to return to theposition illustrated in Fig. 3. During the return movement, the piston 9cooperates with the cylinder 5 to cushion the return movement of thebuck. After the release of pressure between the buck and the shoe,continued pressure on the handle moves the carriage rearwardly andexposes the upper surface of the buck so that the ironed material may beremoved.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent in the UnitedStates is:

1. An ironing press comprising a table having a top provided with anopening, a cylinder having a flange resting on the table top and havinga part projecting through said opening, a piston in said cylinder, abuck on said piston, a shoe, means within said cylinder for moving thepiston in the cylinder whereby the buck is moved into pressingengagement with said shoe, and means including an arm extending fromsaid shoe below the table top and operatively connected to the cylinderfor receiving the pressing forces from the cylinder withoutsubstantially stressing the table.

2. An ironing press comprising a table having a top provided with anopening, a pressure developing mechanism having a flange resting on thetable top and having a part projecting through said opening, a shoe, abuck movable by' said pressure developing mechanism into pressingengagement with said shoe, and an arm extending from said shoe below thetable top arm, a pressure developing mechanism supported by andextending below the table top,-a buck movable by said pressuredeveloping mechanism into pressing engagement with said shoe, and meansbetween said carriage and said pressure developing mechanism fortransmitting the pressing forces to said carriage without substan--tially stressing the table.

4. An ironing press comprising a table having a top provided with anopening, a cylinder suspended from the table top below said opening, apiston in said cylinder, a'buck mounted on said piston, a tracksupported below the table top, a

carriage slidable on the track and having an arm extending above thetable top, a shoe supported on said arm, means within said cylinderacting on said piston for moving said buck intopressing engagement withsaid shoe, and a yoke around said cylinder and having a portion betweensaid carriage and said table top for transmitting the pressing forces tosaid carriage without substantially stressing the table.

5. An ironing press comprising a table having a top provided with anopening, a liquid containing cylinder having a flange resting on thetable top and having a part projecting through said opening, a piston insaid cylinder, a buck on said piston, a shoe, an impeller within saidcylinder and having inlet and discharge openings on opposite sides ofsaid piston for creating a pressure in the liquid to move the piston inthe cylinder whereby the'buck is moved into pressing engagement with theshoe, an electric motor for driving said impeller, and means includingan arm extending from said shoe below the table top and operativelyconnected to said cylinder for receiving the pressing forces from thecylinder without substantially stressing the table.

6. An ironing press comprising a table having a top provided with anopening, a liquid containing cylinder suspended from the table top belowsaid opening, a piston in said cylinder, a buck mounted on said piston,a track supported below the table top, a carriage slidable on the trackand having an arm extending above the table top, a shoe supported onsaid arm, an impeller within said cylinder and having inlet anddischarge openings on opposite sides of the piston for creating apressure in the liquid to move the piston in the cylinder whereby thebuck is moved into pressing engagement with the shoe, an electric motorfor driving the impeller, a yoke around said cylinder and having aportion between said carriage and said table top for transmitting thepressing forces to said carriage without substantially stressing thetable.

NOBLE H. WATTS.

